Picking Up The Pieces
by DERSHOCK
Summary: The Second Shinobi War has just ended. Many are beginning to mourn those lost and left behind in the war but life continues on. Villages are recovering their forces and the world starts to slowly heal from the damage of the past. Healing is never easy for those with the deepest wounds. Reikoku Mizushima has just experienced a shinobi war and now is the time to heal.
1. Chapter 1

**I have always wanted to write an OC Naruto story. This story will focus solely on my OC's and their lives with some characters from the show appearing in the story.**

 **I own nothing, Kishimoto owns everything.**

 **This fic mine, Naruto his.**

 **Enjoy story now.**

 **—-**

Reikoku Mizushima, respected Jounin of Konohagakure, creator and user of the puzzle kinjutsu, master of kenjitsu, frontline combatant in the Second Shinobi War, a man who has been drunk more often than sober since the end of the war and a hollow shell of the person he once was finds himself in the most challenging position of his life.

"I am Reikoku Mizushima and by order of the Hokage you are to be my student" he said matter of factly to the young one in front of him before taking a swig of his drink from one of the many flasks hidden on his person.

"It's an honor to be your student Reikoku-sensei! My name's Kura Yazawa and I can't wait to be as strong as my idol!" His newfound apprentice said this with way too much enthusiasm for him and a disturbing look of admiration in her eyes.

He took another swig of the sweet numbing nectar in his flask.

"Alright little one," he started because she really was too small, on second thought, "...how old are you?"

"I'll be ten in two weeks Reikoku-sensei!" Once again her smile was way too bright on her way too small face.

Another swig.

"The Hokage has seen fit to assign you under my tutelage as my apprentice." Her smile widened even more at his words. "Do you understand what this means?"

"It means that I will be learning everything you know, right Sensei?" She asked with that small face. Her eyes that were too wide and innocent for a shinobi only reinforced how new she was to this cruel world and he realized that he was responsible for this innocent little nine year old girl.

He took another swig of his flask, this one far deeper than the others. All the while the girl stood at attention in front of him eagerly waiting for his direction.

"Well, let's start with what you know."

"What I know?" She tilted her head in confusion, reminding him of one of the younger ninken he'd seen in the past.

"Techniques, specializations, bloodline abilities, things like that."

"Oh!" She bounced on the balls of her feet giddily before words came out of her mouth too quickly for his comfort.

"I know the basic three jutsu, the body replacement technique is my favorite out of the three. I also know how to tree walk because I asked one of the matrons at the orphanage to teach me. I know the basic Konoha Leaf Style for Taijutsu and even placed third in my class! I also know one genjutsu technique, I think it's called Alter Equilibrium technique but I'm not sure. It made Aiko-san throw up though so it must have worked. I know how to use shuriken and kunai but I also practiced with a wooden sword that I made from a branch all by myself because my idol uses a sword and I couldn't face him without knowing how to use a sword. I know the theory of the body flicker technique but I haven't been able to do it yet- Oh! My teachers have all said that I have an irregularly large amount of chakra for my age-"

He took another deep swig of his flask, emptying it before stowing it away and fishing out another one.

"-and said that I'll be able to use many ninjutsu when I'm older. They were surprised that I had such good chakra control because of how much chakra I have but whenever I'm bored I tell myself, 'Kura, your idol can do all of these with his eyes closed so keep on working hard and you'll be able to be just as great as he is', so I like to work on my chakra control in my spare time before I go to bed. I don't think I have any bloodline abilities, unless they have to do with being faster than other kids because most kids my age are too slow. I wonder if I have a bloodline ability? Do you think I can find out? How would you even do that? Do you know sensei?"

She finally stopped talking and those damn innocent eyes were on him again.

He wondered if he could ask the Hokage to send him back to the front lines, there was still some action going on. Maybe he could even be stationed at one of the outposts near Suna.

He took another swig and focused back on the small girl in front of him.

"Alright, here's the deal little one," She perked up at his words.

"First off, my words are law. If I tell you to do something you do it, no complaining, no whining and for Kami sake no crying, you understand me?"

She eagerly nodded while bouncing on the balls of her feet, there was still too much admiration in her eyes and that wide smile was still plastered on her tiny face.

Another swig.

"Second, as my student you will be learning everything I know. That means my techniques, forbidden arts, my specializations and even my mindset. The Hokage wants me to pass on all of these before I kick it and I intend on doing that without too much trouble, understood?"

Once again an over eager nod and a bounce with a smile.

"Third, I'm a front line combatant first which means that I've seen some of the worst that war has to offer. I don't intend to coddle you and to tell you the truth I don't have the stomach to gently guide you. I'm going to introduce you by throwing you headfirst into training so hard you'll be wishing for it to stop."

He paused for effect, hopefully to possibly dissuade her from becoming his student, but the bounce and the smile was still there so he continued on.

"Being a shinobi isn't pretty. It's not magical, it's not heroic and it for damn sure isn't honorable. We're here to do our duty and keep the village we live in safe. As my sensei once told me when I had just started out under him, 'We're all pieces to a greater puzzle, we work to find our fit and help others to do the same.'"

Another swig.

"We'll get started with the basics on everything here at this training ground today and then go from there. When you're studying under me it's important that I know what you do and what you don't understand so ask me any questions that are _relevant_ to what I'm teachin. Communication is key in the life of a shinobi, it can be the difference between life or death. You understand everything I just said?"

The girl's eyes were disturbingly glued to him. He could see them practically shining with admiration and awe as she bounced eagerly with way too much energy than needed for the moment.

"Yes Sensei! I will do anything you say and promise not to fail you!" She said with another bounce and smile.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" He muttered darkly under his breath where she couldn't hear him and then knocked back the rest of his second flask. He put away the empty flask.

"Well then, let's get started."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the next chapter of our story.**

 **Once again, I take no credit for Naruto.**

 **I do however take all credit for my OC's.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **—**

Reikoku was surprised.

Kura was surprisingly adequate in stamina and chakra control. She also excelled with shuriken and kunai. Her taijutsu though, she was good at using the standard Konoha Leaf style but he would need to get her started on his own Iron Flower style. He would need to bolster her ninjutsu and start her on kenjutsu right away in order to ready her for the cruel world of shinobi.

"Alright, we're done for the day" he said.

He watched as she stumbled over from where he had her going through the hellish basic katas his old sensei used for him when he started almost ten years ago.

He went to take a swig of his drink but found it empty. Had he finished it already? That was his third? fourth? He exchanged it for a new one and took a swig.

The small girl finally made her way over to him. She looked exhausted but he was chagrined to see that she still had that bounce to her step and that smile on her face. How in the world could one bounce so much?

"You did well with what you've learned already, you've exceeded my expectations. Not that they were very high in the first place but regardless, now that I know where you're at we'll get you started on the basics of my Iron Flower taijutsu style. It pairs with my Gold Flower kenjutsu style so it is very important that you perfect it understand?"

He saw that disturbing look of admiration in her innocent eyes again and he inwardly cursed accompanied by a swig.

"Yes sensei, I understand!"

She was still too cheery after training...he'd have to increase her training.

"Be here at this training ground tomorrow at four in the morning, eat a light breakfast, I'll bring lunch for both of us."

She nodded and bounced again, where the hell did she get that energy?

"Don't be late" he said before taking a final swig of his flask before turning to leave.

"Wait sensei!"

He stopped and turned, taking another swig as he did.

"Aren't I going home with you?" She innocently asked.

He choked on his drink and did a spit take before staring at her with incredulity. Did he just hear what he thought he heard?

"What are you talking about, of course not."

"But sensei, all of the kids in my class told me that apprentices lives with their sensei. Also I don't have a place to live, I had a week to leave the orphanage because I graduated from the academy so they said I can take care of myself now. I have my pack with all my stuff here, it's over by that tree..." he saw her point over to a small green backpack that he had noticed earlier and then looked back at her innocent face full of hope.

"No."

He watched her visibly deflate at the word.

"Apprentices _sometimes_ live with their sensei, not always." He watched as those damned eyes of hers kept looking at him. "You will not be living with me." He said pointedly.

She looked down at the ground and shrunk in on herself. Dammit, she _was_ his student though. He couldn't have her sleeping on the street. He knew what he had to do.

He looked to the sky and let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright then, grab your stuff. You can stay at my place _for the night,"_ he specified when he saw a certain glint in her eyes. "Then tomorrow we'll go get you an apartment in the shinobi district over by the Green Market."

He watched as she shot over to grab her backpack and then shot back to him with too much energy and an even bigger bounce to her step than before.

He had to do something about that sooner or later.

He saw the visible admiration for himself in her light grey eyes...it would have to be later then.

"Let's go then."

—

It took him longer than usual walking to his apartment due to the fact that his little apprentice wouldn't last the trip over the roofs, not yet anyway, he'd fix that.

"-and then Aiko-san told Haru-sensei that Daisuke-san punched Miko-san, not me. I was so glad because I had never gotten detention before and I was scared that it would effect my placement when I became a Genin but obviously since you're my sensei it didn't effect me at all even though I got detention a couple times. I had even asked Haru-sensei if that was the case and she said-"

He took another swig of his drink as he walked, his little apprentice talked like she was about lose her voice and she had to tell him her life story before that happened. By the time they reached his apartment complex located close to the Inuzuka Clan compound his little apprentice had made it to her third year at the Academy.

"-but my kunai were evenly spaced _and_ deeper in the wood so I won the contest but Megu-san said that I cheated because I-"

"We're here" he interrupted before her mouth fell off from talking. She had been so quiet before, had the Hokage given him a broken genin, he hoped not.

"This is where you live sensei?!" She said with a bit too much enthusiasm and it was then that he knew he had made a mistake.

She was going to haunt his life now.

"Come on little one." He said before unlocking the front gate of the apartments via chakra signature. The shinobi apartments he lived in here were older and had the fortune of having seals installed around them for extra security and leisure.

He trudged past the gate, through the courtyard and up the stairs heading toward the left wing of the complex. His small shadow bounced along the entire way, looking around curiously at everything she could see.

He finally made it to his door, opened it without pause, and walked into his apartment. He walked in to the three-bedroom apartment and headed straight for the kitchen. As he walked by the common room he saw one of his flat mates, Sachiko Takenaka, sharpening her kunai on the couch.

He shared this apartment with two kunoichi. Sachiko was chunin he had teamed with when he was younger during the war, she specialized in ranged combat, decoding and ciphers. Miyu Fukuda was his other flat mate, she was a childhood friend from the academy and they had a history together; she was a jounin specialized in taijutsu, genjutsu and the tessen.

He gave Sachiko a flippant wave as greeting, went to the fridge and fished out a bottle of alcohol.

"Seems you picked up something on your way home eh Reikoku-san?" Sachiko said as she paused from sharpening her kunai. She watched Kura nervously bounce as she waited in the common room while eyeing Sachiko with some unease.

He downed the glass he had just poured and looked to Sachiko. She was a nice girl, not too hard on the eyes too with her long light brown hair, heart shaped face, soft features and bright blue eyes. He didn't focus on her looks though, she had an even temperament and he could count on her to have his back. That was why he had accepted her and Miyu's offer to live together.

"Sachiko meet Kura Yazawa...my apprentice. Kura-chan meet Sachiko Takenaka, one of my flat mates."

Sachiko's gaze lingered over Kura before she snorted and went back to sharpening kunai, "Pleasure Kura-chan," she turned to look at Reikoku,"They seriously saddled you with a kid?" She asked incredulously.

He internally agreed with her, though he didn't appreciate her lack of faith.

"Reikoku-sensei is the best sensei I could have ever wanted! He showed me his basic stretching katas and how to build up my stamina and how to increase my chakra control and-" his little shadow apparently got over her shyness and started talking up a storm.

This time she was praising him though, so he counted it as a win.

"Little one."

She cut off her praise and eagerly bounced over to him.

"Yes sensei?!"

He heard Sachiko snort and mutter, "well she adores you plenty already."

"Go wash up in the bathroom. It's down the side hall, second door on the right, I'll get the room ready for you." He took another drink.

Kura's eyes were once again wide and shining with admiration.

"Does that mean i'll be sleeping with you sensei?!"

The burn of the alcohol in his throat as he coughed it up once again went ignored so he could clarify his words or his poor little innocent apprentice would have some troubling delusions. He could hear Sachiko laughing her ass off on the couch...damn her.

"N-No! No!" He cleared his throat. "No little one, you'll be sleeping in my room and I'll be sleeping on the couch in the common room."

"Oh."

Now why did she sound so disappointed at that?

He saw wide light grey eyes look up at him," you don't want to sleep with me sensei?"

Once again he heard Sachiko erupt in laughter and he rubbed his temple in exasperation.

"Little one, when you say it like that it sounds inappropriate. I'll be in the common room during the night so if you need anything...knock on Sachiko's door, i'll show you where it is when you're done in the bathroom, go."

"Yes sensei!" She nodded and bounced away, sadness at sleeping alone seemingly forgotten.

He picked up his drink and went to sit down on the couch next to Sachiko who's shoulders were still moving up and down as she chuckled.

"Laugh it up Koko-chan, you're just jealous" he shot her a smile as she snorted at him.

She stopped chuckling and turned to him, a soft smile set on her face. She rested her hand over his left knee.

"She'll be good for you Reikoku-san, I know it."

He turned to stare at the soft look in her bright blue eyes, understanding what she meant.

Instead of responding to her he just turned back to stare straight ahead and grunted before taking a deep swig of his drink.


End file.
